U.S. Senate: Gibbons gets endorsement from head of Montgomery Co. GOP

Sheriff Phil Plummer backing Cleveland businessman to take on Sen. Sherrod Brown

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Gibbons was endorsed on Thursday by Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party.

Gibbons is running against U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, in the May 8 Republican primary. The winner will face U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in the Nov. 6 general election.

Renacci was running for governor until he switched to the Senate race after front-runner, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, dropped out due to family issues earlier this month.

Plummer could not be reached for comment, but in a news release issued by the Gibbons campaign, Plummer said, “I proudly endorse conservative outsider Mike Gibbons for U.S. Senate.”

Plummer said the Cleveland investment banker “has real world experience on how to create jobs and balance budgets.”

It is not clear if the county party will endorse in the primary.

Related: Mandel drops out of race against Sherrod Brown

Plummer has a history of taking an independent stand on endorsements. In the 2016 Ohio presidential primary he endorsed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, over Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

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